A great muzziness of thought in a British school:
A school in London has banned children from raising their hands in class and teachers from calling on students with their hands raised..."Some pupils are jiggling so much to attract the teacher's attention that it sometimes looks as if they need the lavatory, then when it is their turn they often don't know the answer. Boys -- and it is usually boys -- are seeking attention, so they put their hands up before they have had time to think about the question."
Buck said the same children often wave their arms in the air, but when teachers try to involve less adventurous pupils by choosing them instead, it leads to feelings of victimization, the Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. To spare embarrassment of the students who do not know the answer, the school has incorporated a "phone a friend" system, allowing one child to nominate another to take the question instead.
1. Why is being called upon by your teacher considered "victimization?"
2. If that's victimization, isn't "phoning a friend" that, too, if you nominate someone you don't like, who is making poor grades, to answer a tough question?
3. Why aren't teachers assumed to have the mental capacity to learn to ignore class clowns (who might raise their hands just to give smartass answers) and ask questions of all students in a way that doesn't embarass anyone too much
4. What if they DO have to visit the lavatory? They can't nominate a friend to take a whiz for them, can they?
Joanne has much more, including a link to an article suggesting that British schoolchildren today are less intelligent than those of previous years.
Posted by kswygert at January 30, 2006 09:38 AM